Gas engine



Nov. 17, 1925.

1,562,375 1. H. SPENCER GAS ENGINE Filed Aug. 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTUF.

Nov. 17,1925. 1,562,375

. l. H, SPENCER GAS ENGINE Filed Aug. 26. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTUI?" gme.

Patented Nov. 17, 1925.

IRA. H. SPENCER, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

ens Enema Application filed August 26, 1921. Serial No. 495,517.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of \Vest Hartford, in the'county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Gas Engine, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of engines in which a combustible fluid is introduced within the cylinder and there ignited thus creating a force to drive the piston, and an object of my invention, among others, is to provide an engine of thistype with particularly simple and effective means for preventing excessive rise of temperature in the operation of the en- One form of engine embodying my invention, and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as well as others, may be attained, is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which-' I Figure l 'isa view'in side elevation of my improved engine with parts broken away to show construction, the hood being omitted.

Figure 2 is'a view in section on a vertical plane denoted by the dotted line 2-52 of Figure 1. J I i F iguie 3 is a view through one of the cylinders on a horizontal plane and as denoted by the dotted. line 33 in Figure 1. Figure 4 is a similar "iew on the plane denoted by the dotted line 44 of Figure'l.

In the accompanying drawings the numeral 5 indicates the base of my improved engine that, may be formed in any desired manner and that may be provided with any suitable means for supporting it, ason the frame of a motor vehicle. A bottom cap 6 is secured to the under part'of the base to close the chamber therein and the base may be provided with any suitable means for supporting a crank shaft 7 that may be provided with any ordinary means for connecting it with the driving shaft of the vehiclef The base is provided with cylinder openings 8 communicating withor forming a part of an inlet compression chamber 9 in the crank case or base, andcyli'nders 10,

- in the construction herein shown, four, in

A piston 12, locatedin each of the cylinrlers connected by a pitman 13 with a otherwise crank on the crank shaft, a port 14 extending from the chamber 9 to a portileading to a central opening 15 in the upper part of the cylinder, the special type of engine illustrated herein being of the two-cycle type and the construction shown comprising the subject matter of a copending application filed by me April 10th, 1920, of Serial Number 372,- 998, and for which reason a more detailed description is omitted herein, it being sufficient tostate that the upper part 16 of the cylinder is separately formed from andsecured to the lower part'as by means of .in--

tcrengaging screw threads, as shown in-Fig. 1 of the drawings. V

A direction tube 17 extends downwardly from a tube supporting cap 18 secured within the upper end of the part 16, said tube having ports 19 in its side walls for the flow of gases into the chamber 20 in the cylinder. The wall of the tube 17 is thickened at its upper end where ignition takes place, this thickening being for the purpose of obviating an accumulation and retention therein of undue heat and such as might produce premature explosions, the ports 19 being located in this thickened portion of the dlrection tube.

The heat within an internalfcombustion engine is generated-in the cylinder or eylinders at a point above'the piston when it is down, and in a two-cycle engine, of the type herein shown, at a pointabove the exhaust outlet. Therefore, if the temperature of this upper part of a'cylinder be kept below the'danger point, that is the pointbelow which injury by reason of such heat will take place; the engine will not become overheated. -I have, therefore, devised means whereby the upperportionsof the cylinders -within which the heat is generated may be kept at such temperature as to remove practically all danger from overheating under normal conditions of. operation.

In order to effect this purpose I construct each cylinder'with such uniformity on all 2 sides to a'point below the combustion chamber that arcs of certain lengths of each cylinder will be duplicated all around. The object of this is to distribute the metal evenly at all points around the combustion number, are securedto the base with cylin dcr extensions 11 thereonprojecting down; i. wardly ante; the openings 8.

chamber and for some distance below itv so points. The upper part of parts of the outer surface of the cylinders and also for a free circulation of such cooling medium lengthwise along that part of the outer surface of the cylinders surrounding the combustion chamber, and for such distance below said chamber as may be desired.

To effect this purpose I provide radiating fins 21 extending from the top of a-cylinder downwardly to such point as may be desired,

in the construction herein shown these fins being secured to and preferably formed integrally with the adjustable part 16 of the cylinder and extending downwardly to a position in proximity to the upper end of the lower part of the cylinder structure, it being understood that where the description herein is' with reference to asingle cylinder structure that such description is intended to on the exhaust gases I apply equally to each of the other cylinder structures. The upper end of the cylinder part 16 is reduced in size and the fins-21, as to their inner edges, conform to this shape of said upper end, but the outer edges of the fins are referably vertical.

The cylin case constituting the cylinder part 10 and a jacket spaced from said cylinder, which jacket I term a coolingjacket, the upper and preferably reduced part 22 containing an exhaust passage or passages 23 opening into an exhaust chamber 24 in the jacket 7 base 25.

. of the cylinder structure from the top downward are concentric and in the form of enlargements, so that the downward air flow will impinge upon said enlargements and thus make thorough and even contact with the entire cylinder structure from below the exhaust chamber to the top. Said base 25 has an inlet and exhaust box projecting from one side, to which an inlet manifold 31 and an exhaust manifold 32 are connected, said manifolds communicating with a suitable source of supply, as a carbureter 33 and with a dischar e (not shown herein).

The exhaust mani old is provided with retarder valves 34 located 'op osite the exhaust ports 35 and; preferaly spaced a slight distance from the mouths of said ports, andshut-oif valves 36, are provided for a ortion of the inlet ports 37, the shutoff va ves being for the purpose of directing er structure comprises an inner 7 art 22 with cooling all of the gas into a portion only ofi tlreg i cylinders when the su'pply of such asis reduced, as when the engine is idling. This overcomes, by supplying each of the operating cylinders with enough gas to insure ignition at each stroke, the objectionable lnisfiring at such times. These valves may be secured, as to each set, to a single valve operating rod extending through the manifolds, in the construction shown a retarder valve operating rod 40 having an operating handle 41 supporting the retarder valves. that are each adj ustably secured theretofand a a shut-off valve operating rod 42 having downwardly to a point below the top of the fins 26 thereby leaving openings 45 between the fins and the bottom edge of the shell 44 and the top edge of the base 25 for the free circulation of air lengthwise along the cylinder at all points above its periphery.

An air tube 46 extends along and overlies the tops ofthe cylinders with openings 47 through the bottom of said tube into the shells 44, a tube 48 extending from a hous ing 49 to the tube 46 to conduct air. from a fan 50 to the tube 46. As the action of a fan. upon currents of cold air is more effective than it is upon currents of hot air, owing to the greater denseness of the colder air, I take advantage of this-feature b placing the fan so that it takes the cold air and blows it through the air tubes,

dellvering a maximum thereby air through said tubes. 7 j 1 A hood 51 of any desired form and con struction may be employed to cover them gine as a whole, it being especially noted therethrough covers the top' of the engine and delivers such cold' air separately to each cylinder. I

It is well known that the action of a gas engine is much more effective when the temperature is raised to a certain point and that the greatest efiiciency is obtaine in such engine when the temperature is maintained at that point. I effect this purpose- In my improved engine by providing the air tube 48 with a damper 52 normally held in its closed position as by means of a spring 53, which damper is connected by a. damper actuating rod 54 with a thermo I that the tube 46 with the coldair flowing stat 55 of well known construction and comprising a bellows case that is connected by a tube 56 and branches 57 with regulating tubes 58 surrounding each of the cylinders, preferably near the lower part of the combustion chamber therein. These regulating tubes are filled with some liquid, as ether, alcohol, or the like,'that will boil at a certain temperature, which boiling will expand the thermostat 55 and thereby control the opening of the damper 52. *When the temperature of the cylinder reducessufficiently the boiling will cease and the contraction of the thermostat will close thedamper.

I In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes I hax e described herein the principles of operation of my invention, together with the device which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the device shown is only illustrative, and, that I the invention may be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set out.

I claim:

1. An engine comprising a cylinder having a concentrically'arranged exhaust passage opening from the bottom of the combustion chamber, hollow fins evenly spaced about the cylinder with the spaces in said fins openinginto said exhaust passage, and

a shell surrounding said hollow fins andterminating above the bottoms thereof to provide openings at the bottom from each of the spaces between the fins for free circulation of air downwardly through said spaces.

' 2. An engine comprising a cylinder having a concentrlcally arranged exhaust passage opening from the bottom of the combustion chamber, hollow fins evenly spaced sage opening from the bottom of the combustion chamber, hollow fins evenly spaced about the cylinder with the spaces in said fins opening into said exhaust passages, a

' shell sur rounding said hollow fins and terminating above the bottom of the spaces be 'tween the fins to provide a passage for free circulation of air from the top downwardly and out at the bottom of said passages, and means for forcin airdownwardly into the spaces between said hollow fins.

IRA H. SPENCER. 

